The Associated Press

ST.

Friday, August 17, 2001

ST. LOUIS – The Cincinnati Reds don’t have Dustin Hermanson to kick around anymore.

For the first time in 11 career starts, Hermanson beat the Reds as the St. Louis Cardinals won 8-3 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to eight games. Hermanson, from Springfield, Ohio, had an 0-8 record and 5.64 ERA against Cincinnati.

”The Cincinnati curse has been lifted,” Hermanson said. ”So hopefully now I can put the Hermanson curse on them, and not let them beat me for a long time.”

Jim Edmonds hit a three-run home run for the second straight game, Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to 17 games and the bullpen had another strong outing as the Cardinals pulled to 3 1/2 games behind the idle Cubs in the NL Central.

”We’re a different club,” manager Tony La Russa said. ”I keep saying it, but it’s the truth.”

Hermanson’s outing began on an ominous note when he walked Todd Walker to start the first and rookie Adam Dunn followed with his seventh homer.

”I came out too nit-picky, trying to nit-pick around the strike zone instead of going right at the guy,” Hermanson said. ”And I think I got in trouble.

”After the home run, I pretty much said ‘Hey, you’ve got to get busy now or this thing’s going to get out of hand.”’

St. Louis swept the Reds at home for the first time since June 5-8, 1962, at old Busch Stadium, outscoring them 26-10, and moved 10 games above .500 for the first time this season (65-55). Cincinnati has lost five in a row and nine of 12.

”They got the big hits when they needed them and we didn’t, it’s really that simple,” the Reds’ Sean Casey said. ”We had good enough pitching to win it, but we didn’t do enough on offense.”

Edmonds, bothered by a sore shoulder most of the season, also had four RBIs in an 8-4 victory Wednesday night. He was robbed of extra bases by a catch at the left-field wall by Brady Clark in the first and is 10-for-23 in his last six games.

”I haven’t been hitting it well enough lately to know if I’m doing good or not,” Edmonds said. ”I haven’t hit well long enough to know what I’m doing.

”We’ll just leave it at that right now.”

Since Aug. 7, Edmonds has four homers and 11 RBIs in eight games. Placido Polanco and Pujols, batting .406 (26-for-64) during his streak, singled ahead of Edmonds’ two-out homer.

Luther Hackman bailed out Hermanson after Dmitri Young homered and Clark doubled to start the seventh, getting three infield outs. Steve Kline extended his scoreless innings streak to 20 2-3 in the eighth and Dave Veres finished.

Jose Acevedo, one of three rookies in the Reds’ rotation, gave up four runs on five hits in six innings, striking out five and walking none.

”Well, you know, I didn’t pitch too bad,” Acevedo (3-4) said. ”I’m concerned about the loss, but I’ve got to keep my head up. I’ve got to keep working hard.”

Mark McGwire was ejected for the third time this season for arguing a called third strike, this time after making the first out of the fourth. Home plate umpire Tim Timmons has booted McGwire twice, also doing it July 21 against Pittsburgh.

”He dropped his bat and the umpire said ‘Pick it up or you’re out of here,”’ La Russa said. ”Mac probably thought that’s what batboys do.

”It’s hard to fault Mac, but I think the umpire was doing his job.”

Notes: The Cardinals are 22-12 since the All-Star break. … First base umpire Terry Craft left after one inning with a sprained right knee, and the crew was a man short the rest of the game. … Ken Griffey Jr., who hit into two double plays, was 2-for-12 in the series with a homer.